A fine keeper, who was tall with a strong
build to repel the physical approaches by attacking
players allowed in his day and one who showed no fear in
going for the ball, George Clawley's sheer presence gave the
defenders in front of him great confidence. He made some good saves in the 1901 FA Cup Final to
keep Spurs in the match, but might be best remembered
for the controversial goal that took the final to a
replay.

George was snapped up
by local side Crewe Alexandra, for whom he played three
Second Division matches before Stoke spotted him and he
joined the struggling First Division side. Helping
them stay up via the play-offs, his second season with
the Potters was more successful and things looked good
for him at the Victoria Ground, but Southampton were an
up and coming side in the Southern League who tempted
him to move to Hampshire.

Made captain of the
side, the talented keeper skippered them to the Southern
League titles of 1897 and 1898, but returned nearer home
to Stoke, where he was again made captain and was an
ever-present in their side that season. George
became noted for coming for crosses and for acting as a
sweeper, whereas that job had always been left to
defenders previously. His skill in goal was noted
with appearances for Hampshire and he was chosen for the
Southern League representative side, but the closest he
got to international hnours was a 1903 trial match for
England when with Spurs.

And it was in 1899 when
Clawley came to Tottenham and was unfortunate to break
his leg in his early days of the first season with the
club, but he recovered to make nine appearances in the Southern
League title winning side of 1900, sharing goalkeeping
duties with David Haddow and he went on to play in the
successful FA Cup winning side the following season.

His most famous moment
came in the final. In saving a
shot from Lipsham, George fumbled the ball and grabbed
it and was ready to kick it upfield, when he saw the
referee running back to the centre circle having given a
goal, as the lineman indicated the ball had gone out for
a corner. The debatable moment in the match was
caught on camera, but there were no action replays in
those days, so the tale was told when the films made it
to the newsreels in the cinema. Luckily, he was
less in the news for the second game, where Spurs
triumphed 3-1 to become the first non-league club (and
still the only one) to win the trophy.

A good servant for the club,
George was a regular in the side for nearly two seasons
and his secure keeping helped the side achieve great
strides forward. But Clawley
moved back to Southampton in 1903, winning the Southern
League once more with the Saints in 1904 and staying
there until he retired from the game in 1907.